CESCO, a systems integration company based in Connecticut, has been specifying Technomad audio systems for a sizeable amount of its outdoor sports venue projects over the past five years, citing pristine audio quality, broad dispersion and weatherproof design as selling points for high school stadiums.
Tag: track and field
Technomad Turnkey PA System Powers Outdoor Sports Audio for Hatboro-Horsham High School
Technomad LLC, a leader in weatherproof loudspeakers and audio systems since 1995, announces that Hatboro-Horsham High School in the Philadelphia suburbs is now using a Technomad Turnkey PA System to enhance audio quality and coverage for sporting events in its outdoor campus stadium. The high school successfully used the system for its Fall 2009 football season and will use this system this spring for track and field events, as well as other outdoor sports and events.
“The clarity and functionality of the system from voice to music is amazing,” said Louis James, Athletic Director at Hatboro-Horsham High School. “The system is used for all our home stadium athletic events along with band competitions. The system as a whole is much better than I could have expected for high school events.”
The Technomad system, featuring two Technomad Noho weatherproof loudspeakers and a turnkey signal processing rack, replaced a pair of aging public address horns plagues by unintelligible voice reproduction and low-fidelity musical output. According to Joe Torquato, Owner and President of systems integration firm Omega Electronics, Hatboro-Horsham was looking to install something with the fidelity and response of a home audio system.
“The days of using the plain old football field horns with a simple driver and limited frequency response are over,” said Torquato. “Students and their parents are used to the quality their mp3 players, iPods and CD players deliver and expect the same quality from pre-show and halftime music. The new system allows for easy hookup of these devices. The Nohos provide plenty of high end; they also reproduce lows and mids very well, which is critical to high-quality musical output. The amount of power they put out covers the entire field. And the clarity of the voice is excellent. It is a very smooth sounding loudspeaker with no dropouts.”
Torquato and his team set up the system in under four hours, installing the Nohos on the press box façade following masonry work to smooth the textured brick surface for the mounts. The IP56-rated weatherproof design of the loudspeakers mean that they will remain outside and unprotected from the elements year-round.
“The 120×120 conical pattern of the Noho means that installers don’t have to fuss with the angles in the way that a 60×40 angle cabinet would require,” added Torqauto. “Off-axis, it has a very wide, smooth response that allows two loudspeakers to cover the entire field, just as it does on-axis. That flexibility, along with the weatherproof design, is a big reason why I especially like the Noho for high school football and soccer fields. Following the installation, the athletic director walked the entire field around the track and was amazed at the sound quality and coverage.”
The Nohos are wired to a rolling signal processing rack inside the press box. The Technomad Turnkey PA system rack comes complete with a pre-wired amplifier and a six-channel mixer with front-panel iPod/mp3 inputs, as well as a hard-wired microphone.
“One thing that has always impressed me about the Technomad Turnkey PA systems is that I never have to add EQ to the rack,” said Torqauto. “I’ve never had any feedback issues or EQ problems with Technomad loudspeakers, especially with the upper low and lower mid. That’s impressive when the loudspeakers are mounted directly to the face of the press box with open windows and a flat, low-end radiating surface, and PA announcements aren’t affected at all.”
CCS Presentation Systems Installs Technomad Turnkey PA Systems at High School Athletic Stadiums in Mid-Atlantic
BOSTON, June 18, 2008– Technomad Associates, LLC, today announced that CCS Presentation Systems, one of the world’s largest dealers of presentation technology equipment and services with locations throughout the U.S., has finalized three high school athletic installations featuring Technomad Turnkey PA Systems.
Technomad Noho C weatherproof loudspeakers deliver high-quality audio throughout the stadium, from home bleachers to concession stands in the furthest corner
Each Turnkey PA System features two Technomad Noho C weatherproof outdoor loudspeakers for high-quality audio coverage of football games and other athletic events; as well as a complete signal processing rack to produce audio in the press box, including a two-channel amplifier, six-channel mixer, cables, mounting brackets and a dynamic microphone with cable.
The schools include Tucker High School in Henrico County, Virginia, which upgraded to Technomad from antiquated horn systems with poor audio quality. Technomad loudspeakers were also specified for new athletic stadiums at King William High School in Aylett, Virginia; and Our Lady of Good Council High School in Olney, Maryland. The systems at all three schools offer clear voice reproduction and musical output that reaches every corner of each stadium.
According to Gene Wells, Project Manager for the two Virginia projects, he prefers to use Technomad for new athletic stadium projects due to their ability to deliver clear audio to everyone in the stadium. Wells also cites ease of use for athletic departments and weatherproof construction as crucial for high school stadium installations.
Every project is unique, from mounting the loudspeakers to the proper angling to ensure that everyone can clearly understand the audio, said Wells. I am consistently blown away by how two Noho loudspeakers cover an entire stadium. The athletic directors like the system not only because of the sound but also because the loudspeakers maintain a professional appearance on the press box, and the PA systems are easy to operate. As an installer the system is easy to set up and wire, and even in the most unusual installations we are able to position the loudspeakers so the audio reaches everyone. This is due to the very wide dispersion patterns of the Technomad design, which are unlike any other loudspeakers I have seen.
The two Virginia projects differed mainly due to the press box locations. While King William High School has the traditional press box location on the home side, the Tucker High School press box is located in the visitor stands. The challenge for Wells and his team was to ensure that fans in the home stands could hear the audio without overpowering the ears of visiting fans. Wells positioned the loudspeakers straight out angling them slightly to each side to achieve the appropriate balance. The two loudspeakers easily project to the home side, allowing everyone in the 2,800-person capacity venue to hear the live broadcast during games.
The sound quality is amazing, similar to a modern concert venue at maximum volume, said John Carroll, Director of Student Activities at Tucker High School, home of the John Randolph Tucker Tigers. We can easily hear the voice announcing the game clearly through the entire campus. It’s an unbelievable system, especially for a high school, and a million times better than the muffled audio coming out of our old horn system.
At Cavalier Stadium, home of the King William Cavaliers, Wells installed the Nohos on the two press box corners at the top to reach fans on each side. Wells mounted the Noho loudspeakers to fencing pipe atop the press box, using various fly points on the loudspeakers to ensure secure installation. The loudspeakers sit outside in the elements unprotected year round. The mid-Atlantic region regularly deals with a mix of sleet, ice and rain with occasional heavy snows in the winter, and intense heat and rain in the summer.
Cavalier Stadium, which also hosts soccer and track events, will open a concession stand in time for the Fall 2008 football season. The system has been tested to ensure that audio will reach those in line for refreshments, as well as those working inside the concession stand.
Kline Stadium at Our Lady of Good Council High School has a similar setup to Cavalier Stadium inside the stadium. The system, as designed by Lee Bellomy, Account Manager at CCS Presentation Systems in Maryland, distributes audio to two Technomad Noho loudspeakers inside the stadium, and also to a pair of small loudspeakers at the concession stand outside the stadium using a separate amplifier and a fiber connection.
The pattern coverage is fantastic inside the stadium, and what’s amazing is that as loud and clear as the audio is, it never bleeds into the bordering neighborhoods, said Ron Colbert, Technology Director for Our Lady of Good Council High School. I was initially surprised when CCS claimed that two Noho loudspeakers would cover the entire stadium, and CCS offered to remove the system if it didn’t live up to the claim. The Technomads do everything that was promised. The students love it all the varsity teams play here and use the system for warm-up music, and the marching band uses it for announcements during practices. Everything coming out of the system sounds great.
ABOUT CCS PRESENTATION SYSTEMS
Since 1991, CCS Presentation Systems has served customers in the corporate, government and educational sectors. CCS provides full service integration, installation and maintenance of audio and video equipment including interactive whiteboards, projectors, LCD & plasma displays, audio systems, document cameras and more. The company has expanded from a two-person operation to one of the largest A/V integrators in the U.S., with more than 300 employees, sales offices in 11 states and annual sales in excess of $100 million.
ABOUT TECHNOMAD
Technomad Associates, LLC, founded in 1995, designs and manufactures loudspeaker systems for the professional audio and security/military technology industries. The company invented the first reliable full-range weatherproof loudspeaker and now offers eight models ranging in power from the 60-watt Vernal 15 to the 1250-Watt OSLO subwoofer. In 2000, Technomad introduces its range of complete Turnkey PA systems that have turned previous complex integration jobs into simple, one-line orders. Please contact Technomad at 617-275-8898 for more information.
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Technomad Loudspeakers Bring Audio Clarity to Sports Events at Middle Tennessee State University
BOSTON, May 28, 2008-Technomad Associates, LLC today announced that Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) in Murfreesboro, Tenn., has selected Technomad outdoor weatherproof loudspeakers to provide high-quality voice and music for live sports coverage in its new 2,500 seat stadium. The loudspeakers are the crown jewel of the PA system used for soccer games and track and field events, with only two Technomad Berlin loudspeakers required to cover the entire stadium with a smooth, intelligible audio pattern.
Two Technomad Berlin weatherproof loudspeakers provide live event coverage for 2,500 seats in new soccer and track & field stadium
The stadium, home to the MTSU Blue Raiders teams that play in the Division One Sun Belt Conference, is the newest venue within the university’s Murphy Center Complex, which comprises all the athletic venues on campus. According to Josh Hoevelmann, Electronic Equipment Engineer for MTSU Murphy Center, the Technomad Berlin loudspeakers rival the larger PA systems used for the football and baseball stadiums on campus.
Everyone I talk to on campus is surprised at the audio quality and power output we’re achieving from just two loudspeakers, said Hoevelmann. The output is extremely clear even at mid-field, and it’s not overbearing in the stands. The Berlins provide a full range sound with mids and lower levels as opposed to some of our other systems that produce mostly highs in the output.
Hoevelmann and his team built the PA rack and installed the loudspeakers, which were custom-ordered from Technomad in blue to match the team colors that are visible throughout the stadium. The loudspeakers were installed on the opposite corners of the press box exterior to ensure that those at the farthest corners of the field could clearly hear the audio, particularly during track and field events when the attendance can far exceed the official seating. In addition to providing even coverage throughout the stadium, the smooth audio pattern eliminates bleeding into nearby residential neighborhoods an ongoing challenge for the university.
There is residential housing across the street from the complex, and the original design called for installing the loudspeakers in the scoreboard, which faces the neighborhood, said Hoevelmann. We decided to move the installation to the press box, which in theory would still bleed into the neighborhoods, but the Technomads have maintained a good balance of being intelligible to everyone inside the stadium and not killing nearby residents with bleed-over. There have been zero complaints from neighbors unlike in past years.
The loudspeakers sit outside all year unprotected from the elements, which according to Hoevelmann include intense rain and hail in the fall and winter, and high heat in the summer. The weatherproof construction is only one aspect of the design that he and his team have found favorable. The loudspeakers are unconventionally mounted on the press box: Instead of using the supplied mounting brackets, the installation team took advantage of fly points on the Berlins and chained them to a fence sitting atop the press box.
The press box construction did not allow us to use the brackets, but the loudspeakers offer many fly points in the design to use eye bolts for unconventional installations, said Hoevelmann. The design made it very easy to hang the loudspeakers and chain them to the press box fence for a secure installation. The bonus is the blue color choice as installed; they match perfectly to the blue colors in the stadium. The assistant athletic director didn’t event notice them during the initial walkthrough because they blend in so well with the press box.
Technomad Loudspeakers Installed in Multiple Sports Venues Across San Mateo Community College District
Three campuses standardize on Technomad loudspeakers for indoor gymnasiums and outdoor stadiums
BOSTON, April 29, 2008 – Technomad Associates, LLC today announced that San Mateo Community College District in California has standardized on Technomad weatherproof loudspeakers on its three Bay Area campuses. Skyline College in San Bruno; Canada College in Redwood City; and the College of San Mateo are home to multiple indoor and outdoor venues now using Technomad Vienna 16 and Noho C loudspeakers for live sports and event coverage, with additional venues to follow as the district moves closer to completing a multi-year, multi-venue upgrade project that covers everything from field surfaces to bleachers to PA systems.
This is an ongoing project with one facility upgrade after another, and we have found the Technomad loudspeakers to be highly versatile with excellent audio quality both indoors and outdoors, said Jim Petromilli, Director of Instructional Technology at the San Mateo Community College District. Outdoors, the weatherproof design is ideal for our three campuses, all of which have very distinct microclimates that can include high heat, heavy rains, and rust from bay moisture. We have also found that the Technomad Vienna loudspeakers perform exceptionally well in our gymnasium at Skyline College for basketball, graduations and other events, and we are planning a similar installation in a second gymnasium.
The outdoor Technomad installations as integrated by Petromilli and his team include: five Noho C loudspeakers for Bulldog Stadium, the football stadium at College of San Mateo, with a sixth Noho C assigned to a nearby track and field area; nine Noho C loudspeakers for three baseball diamonds; two soccer fields, each with two Noho C loudspeakers; and three Vienna 16 loudspeakers for a new softball field that opens this spring.
Lloyd F. McKinney Associates of Hayward, California, procured the loudspeakers from Technomad for all venues, citing the weatherproof design as ideal to handle the different weather elements of the three campuses. The company also led the systems integration project for the gymnasium at Skyline College, home of the Skyline College Trojans, due to the height and complexity of the loudspeaker installations and system wiring. Twelve Technomad Vienna 16 loudspeakers were mounted onto concrete beams or steel structures in the gymnasium, with quad amps to drive selected speaker banks depending on the event. Each side of the gym features five Vienna 16 loudspeakers, with every other one facing the opposite direction to maximize coverage. The final two Vienna 16 loudspeakers were installed on a steel structure above the main basketball hoop, aiming down toward the center of the auditorium.
According to Rick McKinney, Vice President of Lloyd F. McKinney Associates, Petromilli and his team requested an indoor demo after experiencing the high audio quality of the initial outdoor Technomad installation at Bulldog Stadium, adding that the wide horizontal coverage pattern of the Viennas and Nohos allows the colleges to cover wide bleacher areas without hot spots.
Indoor reverb is always challenging in a gymnasium since you’re dealing with hardwood floors, concrete in bleachers and other acoustical challenges, said McKinney. The Vienna 16 loudspeakers provide plenty of power and voice intelligibility for Skyline College events, with a smooth and even audio dispersion throughout the bleachers. In fact, the two Viennas above the main basketball hoop cover the entire gym quite well on their own, but the additional speaker banks give Skyline College plenty of flexibility to orient the sound system to meet different requirements depending on the event.
According to Petromilli, the Skyline College gymnasium is the crown jewel of the district-wide sports facilities upgrade a complete remodel of an existing facility that adds a video projection system and free Wi-Fi in addition to the new floors, bleachers, and PA system.
The Technomads replaced a poor audio system that produced a massive echo, he said. It was difficult to hear in certain areas and we received many complaints. The Technomads bring a huge improvement in voice intelligibility, and the audio quality has improved our attendance in a very competitive market. The PA system has become part of the events at Skyline College, with music and additional entertainment for attendees to create an enjoyable experience.
The Noho C loudspeakers at Bulldog Stadium replaced aging horn systems that produced highly distorted, unintelligible audio. Three Noho C loudspeakers are installed on a press box facade at the 50-yard line, with two more mounted on light poles at the opposite side of the field.
“We opted for multiple loudspeakers that produce high quality audio at a lower level so we could achieve even distribution through the crowd,” said Petromilli. “This is also very important during track events; with so many events on the field, the participants can clearly hear their events being called. This includes the separate area where shot-put, javelin, and other events are held. And during football season, music is a more integral part of the experience, especially during warm-ups. The Technomads provide a pleasant musical output in addition to clear voice reproduction. We literally have people from visiting teams all over southern California knocking on our press box door complimenting us on our sound system, music, and overall presentation.”